Daniel Ricciardo has taken a shot at his Red Bull Racing team after a disappointing engine failure prematurely ended his Austrian Grand Prix.

The 29-year-old started emphatically, climbing from seventh to second early in the race, but when the condition of his tires forced him into an unscheduled pit-stop, a sudden power loss ended the Aussie's day on the 54th lap.

Speaking after the race, a frustrated Ricciardo, who is off contract at the end of the season, made some snide remarks as he joked about a potential career change.

“Is it too late to start my MMA career? What do you reckon? Will Dana sign me?” Ricciardo said.

No luck for birthday boy Ricciardo

“I can still do it. I’m out of contract so maybe I’ll just swap sports altogether.”

When asked what happened to his vehicle, Ricciardo seemed unconvinced and unhappy with the explanation given to him by his team.

“A broken exhaust... apparently,” he said.

“Just one of those days.”

(Twitter)

“Dana White (UFC boss) if you’re listening — I’ve got some work to do but maybe you can sign me in a couple of years … [so I can] take out some of my anger,” Ricciardo added.

Ricciardo’s comments while laden with humour hold some bearing as his relationship with Red Bull notoriously took a nose dive earlier this year as Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren circle around the boisterous star.